My Weekend Lover Turned Out To Be My Boss - Chapter 68

Chapter 68: Exposed. “Betrayal”

Lin Chen dove into the study and emerged a moment later, dragging a bound He Mu with one hand. His movements were swift and brutal. Once He Mu was dragged into the living room, Lin Chen swept the rest of the apartment at top speed before returning to report with a shake of his head: “No one else found.”

Given the situation, intruders must have broken in—but only He Mu was here. Where was Qiu Qi? My heart climbed into my throat; a wave of unease washed over me. He Mu’s eyes were closed; he had likely been knocked unconscious. His mouth was sealed with duct tape. I ripped the tape off and shook him frantically: “He Mu… wake up… wake up! He Mu?”

After a long moment, he finally reacted. He groaned, his brow furrowed in pain, and I noticed several bruises on his face—likely from a struggle. I turned to the coffee table, scrambling for a fruit knife to cut him loose, but Jian Yumeng reached out and stopped me.

“Don’t be in such a hurry to untie him,” she said calmly. “Since we gave you so many gifts and surprises today, what’s one more?”

I looked at her in a panic. “What kind of gift is this? We need to save him and find Qiu Qi! She’s missing…”

As I started to ramble, Jian Yumeng remained unmoved. “What are you panicking for? Once he’s awake, we’ll know exactly what happened. Lin Chen, wake him up.”

Jian Yumeng and Yu Xiao each took one of my arms, essentially sandwiching me into the sofa. I regained a sliver of logic and muttered, “Intruders broke in and a person is gone. If you aren’t worried, I am!”

Lin Chen saw water in the glasses on the table and splashed them directly onto He Mu’s face. When one glass didn’t work, he poured another. Then, like a character out of a martial arts film hitting pressure points, he tapped He Mu’s body a few times. He Mu gasped at the cold water, shook his head, and opened his eyes, looking at Lin Chen and then us in terror.

He struggled against his bonds and spoke urgently: “You Feifan, untie me, quick!”

I tried to stand, but the Jian-Yu couple held me firmly in the cushions. Jian Yumeng, annoyed by the noise, glanced at Lin Chen. He nodded, searched the house, and returned from the bathroom with a long towel. He stuffed it into He Mu’s mouth and tied it behind his head.

“This is a society ruled by law! You can’t just use violence like this!” I cried out.

He Mu twisted his body, muffled “mmm-mmm” sounds coming through the towel, his face red with fury. Jian Yumeng crossed her legs and spoke: “You Feifan, for the next conversation, you just need to listen. Think carefully about what you want to do, and then tell me if you still want to save anyone.”

All day, I had been toyed with by these “high society” figures. Everyone seemed to be hiding secrets from me, making me feel extremely uncomfortable. It was clear that Jian Yumeng and Yu Xiao had come prepared today. Yu Xiao squeezed my hand. “Stay calm.”

I nodded slowly. “Yumeng, say whatever you have to say.”

Jian Yumeng stood up and circled He Mu. He didn’t know her, so he held his head high with an air of righteous indignation. She stopped, reached out a finger to provocatively tilt his chin up, and crouched down to stare directly into his eyes. “Nod or shake your head to answer me. If you don’t cooperate, I have plenty of ways to deal with you.”

I couldn’t stand it anymore and raised my voice: “Yumeng, is this really necessary?”

She immediately raised a hand to silence me. “Quiet.”

Yu Xiao patted my back. “Easy, easy.”

Jian Yumeng turned back to He Mu. “You and Qiu Qi formulated a precise plan a long time ago. Approaching You Feifan was your first step. Yes or no?”

Approaching me? I looked at He Mu in confusion. His eyes were bloodshot as he glared at us, biting the towel. Finally, he looked at me and nodded. I leaned forward, unable to sit still. “He Mu… do you mean my meeting Qiu Qi was engineered by you?”

He nodded again. I poured a glass of water, my hands shaking so much that it spilled onto the floor. I hurriedly wiped it up as Jian Yumeng’s voice rang out again:

“Now for the main event. You approached Feifan because your true goal was to get to Phoebe to seek revenge on Guan Shuyun. You saw the Lan family as the perfect backer. You waited for the right moment—when Guan Shuyun was sowing discord between Feifan and Phoebe—to add fuel to the fire. Those secret photos weren’t taken by Guan Shuyun. They were taken by someone named He He, who has been stalking Guan Shuyun, Phoebe, and Feifan to report back to you. Everything looked like a coincidence, and it allowed you to move in on Feifan as planned. Yes or no?”

Jian Yumeng’s tone was light, but it felt like a heavy blade plunging into my chest. I struggled to my feet. He Mu turned his head away, unable to look at me. I knelt before him and raised my hand. He flinched, expecting a slap, but I spoke softly: “You don’t have to nod for this one.”

I untied the towel from his mouth and said with certainty: “I want you to tell me, with your own mouth, that everything Jian Yumeng just said is a lie.”

There was nothing in He Mu’s eyes but avoidance. He squeezed his eyes shut and slumped forward, pressing his forehead against the floor as if kowtowing, and finally confessed everything:

“Yes. The photos that made you misunderstand Lan Feiyi and Guan Shuyun… I arranged for He He to take them. Your ‘accidental’ meeting with He He at the station that led you to the hostel? My plan. Qiu Qi waiting for you for so long, even meeting Zhang Qingyue during the mountain charity work—it was all arranged. All of it was to earn your absolute trust and make you hate Guan Shuyun more, so that you would willingly introduce us to Lan Feiyi.”

As the confession poured out, I didn’t know how twisted my expression had become. In the next heartbeat, I grabbed He Mu by the collar and screamed, my voice cracking with a sob: “So that whole beautiful trip was just a setup? You made me believe Phoebe betrayed me… you made me lose control and hit Guan Shuyun… you destroyed my family for this?!”

I collapsed onto the floor, watching my tears hit the ground one by one. Everyone was playing me. Was it because I was such a “good person” that I was easy to rot from the inside out? I stood up manically, grabbed He Mu by the back of his collar, and dragged him across the floor before pinning him down.

He Mu was still tied and couldn’t fight back. To everyone’s shock, I gritted my teeth and wrapped my hands around his throat. In that moment, I felt like I was back in that car accident; the bloodlust I felt for Zhao Taian flooded my brain. One thought hammered in my skull: Kill him. Kill him now.

“What do I owe you?!” I roared. “Tell me! We had no grudge, no debt! Why do this to me? Die! Die! Die!”

He Mu’s face turned purple, veins bulging on his forehead as his legs kicked out. Suddenly, Yu Xiao tackled me to the ground, pinning me down. “Are you crazy?! Haven’t you had enough of prison food?!”

Jian Yumeng commanded: “Lin Chen, grab Feifan.”

Lin Chen was incredibly strong. He hauled me up and, to control my frenzy, he pulled my hands behind my back. No matter how much I thrashed, I couldn’t break free. After calming He Mu down, Yu Xiao spoke sternly: “Mr. He, everyone must take responsibility for their mistakes. Feifan is my best friend; I won’t let you play her for a fool. Your actions are unforgivable. I won’t untie you yet—you should know how dire your situation is.”

Jian Yumeng approached me. “Do you want to ask about Miss Qiu’s whereabouts?”

Right. Qiu Qi. I laughed, a delusional, hollow sound. “Qiu Qi… where is she? I want to find her. I want to ask her myself. This is just He Mu’s word… I can’t believe it all yet… I can’t…”

Seeing me slipping into a state of incoherent mania, Jian Yumeng and Yu Xiao exchanged a worried look. To settle things quickly, Yu Xiao asked He Mu: “How long after Feifan left did the intruders arrive?”

He Mu panted, thinking. “Around 8:00 PM. I was in the study looking at files. I ran out of coffee and checked the time when I went to make another cup.”

“How did they get in?”

“Someone knocked. Qiu Qi was in the living room watching TV. She thought it was Feifan coming back and opened the door without thinking. Four men rushed in—thugs. The first thing they asked was ‘Where is You Feifan?’ I tried to argue, but they tied me up and took Qiu Qi away.”

“This is kidnapping! We have to call the police!” Yu Xiao cried, worried about someone getting killed.

Jian Yumeng countered: “If we call the police, they might kill the hostage. He Mu, did they say anything before they left?”

He Mu recalled, “Before I was knocked out, the leader told me to tell Feifan: if she wants to save her friend, it’s a life for a life. The clue was two words—’Business Card.’ He said Feifan would know what that meant.”

I looked at He Mu and burst into a fit of wild laughter. Everyone was terrified by my reaction. Truly, one must be mad to survive this. Lin Chen let go of my hands; the momentum sent me kneeling to the floor, laughing until my sides ached.

Then, I stopped. I glared at He Mu with eyes full of venom. “You want me to save Qiu Qi? Do you? Do you? Do you? But what if I don’t save her? What can you possibly do to me?”